16.08.12
Public sector strikes at record high in 2011
1.4 million working days were lost to strikes last year, ONS statistics show – the highest total since 1990.
The number of days of industrial action were boosted by the one-day strike by public sector workers in November against Government changes to pensions.
In 201 there were 149 separate stoppages, with almost twice as many in the public sector as in the private sector. In total 1,389,700 working days were lost, up by more than a million on 2010.
Over 1.5 million workers took part in the strikes, almost 12 times the number in 2010. most of the strikes involved pay, and just over half lasted a day.
Almost 1,000 ballots were held during the year, with most returning majorities in favour of taking industrial action.
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Image c. Andy O’Donnell